I was once read a story of Jeff, who is a 19 years old college freshman with no prior history of emotional problems and was brought to his father concerned. He has been withdrawing more and more lately. He won’t join family at the dinner table, hasn’t been finishing his assignments, and was not his old self. A few weeks later after treating with vitamins, minerals, and herbs three times daily with meals Jeff has gained some weight and feeling better. His depression and anxiety lifted. He was able to think more clearly. After hearing Jeff story, like many other people like Jeff, I have further concerns and questions whether nutrition has link to mental health. As a result of these insights, I discovered that depletes drawing on food sources will disrupt brain functions which can lead to depression, disrupted thinking, and ultimately to psychosis.
The choices of what we eat influence our brain chemistry and neural function. Adequate nutrition diet can improve energy, alertness, concentration, attention, and cognition. However, inadequate nutrition diet in formative period may result in abnormal brain development and troubles such as fatigue impairments with concentration and attention, and difficulty in decision making. Moreover, less intake foods cannot made enough amount of precursors to directly signal gene by providing the specific molecules to exert their potential or targeted effects on brain growth and development. The result of less intake foods may lead malfunctioning in neurotransmitters which inefficient communication between brain cells. For instance, skipping breakfast can lower fluency and problem solving ability. The choice of what we eat can promote to good mental health.